It's dead, Jim

Well, about halfway through consuming the snowplow berm at the end of our driveway, the snowblower quit blowing snow.  It still runs, the impeller throws anything it gets, but the feed augers don't turn.  I'd like to think the shear-pins sheared, but in reality the symptoms look/feel more like a worm gear stripped in the differential.

OTOH, we dug out the manual and sales receipt.  We bought that machine in November 1988.  Toro doesn't owe us anything . . .

The Blessings of Allah be upon our neighbor Brian, who finished up the driveway with his new 8 hp Ariens.

Total snowfall somewhere in the range of 15" - 18", depending on where you measure.

Minor LiveJournal irritations

One post on my "friends list" runs about nine billion lines.  Will the stars start going out when we get to the last words?

Another post auto-runs a video and sound track that plays every time I go to the "friends page", and will do so, presumably, until it scrolls off the first page.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have hand-shoveled the third snowplow pass out of the end of our driveway.  I have cleared the lower roofs.  A path is available to the oil filler pipes, if the fuel oil guys think we need heat.  The finches and siskins are fighting over perches and precedence at the feeders.